{l-r: Lyndsey, me, Chelsea, Molly, Kelly}
I may have told a tiny white lie in my 5 Things on a Friday post. I didn’t stay home and clean out my closet. I did that the previous weekend. Instead, I traveled to Chelsea’s house to pull off a 4-part surprise. Everything went SO well and she was completely surprised. All 4 times.
Chelsea’s been having a rough time lately. I don’t like that. She’s my girl. One night a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t sleep, so I texted Molly and said “We have to do something. Let’s visit Chelsea, but make it a surprise.” Molly, being the amazing friend she is, wholeheartedly agreed. We got Chelsea’s husband, sister, and mom on board, and they were invaluable in helping us plan. I also have to thank Chelsea’s high school friends Debbie and Jennifer, who told Chelsea she was hanging out with them on Friday night, so she wouldn’t make other plans. We couldn’t very well have a weekend with only 3/5ths of The Glamazons*, so we got Kelly and Lyndsey in on it too. I was so afraid that with so many of us planning and talking and lying, Chelsea would find out. But she didn’t. I love a good surprise.
Friday morning, I drove to Chelsea’s house, knocked on her door, and scared the crap out of her completely surprised her. We may have both cried. I told her that Debbie and Jennifer were in on it, and she was stuck with me instead for the whole weekend. We would do nothing but sit around and eat and talk. We played with Jansen and began discussing our many, many Thoughts and Feelings (T&F for short). Then, there was a knock at the door. It was Kelly! She said she was just in the neighborhood! Kelly and I had invented some story about how she knew I would be in town so she would stop by at some point, but that she needed to leave because her fiance didn’t have a car. We hung out, more T&F were discussed, then Kelly “left.” Chelsea and I dropped Jansen off at her dad’s house and went to dinner. I was trying to pull off a very quick dinner, just long enough for Kelly to pick Molly up from the airport, but apparently Chelsea thinks that when you get dressed and enlist a babysitter and get out of the house, you need to stay out for longer than an hour. Somehow I talked her into going back home. We settled into her living room with glasses of wine, and there was another knock at the door. Molly (with a bottle of Chocovine)! And Kelly too! We told Chelsea that Lyndsey couldn’t make it due to her dad’s birthday, when really we thought she wasn’t supposed to show up until the next day. A couple of hours later, another knock. That sneaky Lyndsey surprised all of us! The Glamazon circle was complete.
I feel it’s important to say that the next day, as we were sitting around eating Molly’s delicious bruchetta, there was yet another knock at the door. We all looked at each other like WHO THE HELL IS THAT? Chelsea was all, Come on y’all! But it was just a girl scout. We told her she couldn’t be a Glamazon but we kind of wanted some Thin Mints, kthx.
The rest of the weekend was spent cooking, eating, drinking, laughing until it hurt, staying up later than any of us working women/moms had in a long time, painting our nails, taking iPhone photos, telling stories, and discussing every T&F we have ever had. We talked about Lucy and how special she was. A few tears were shed. We hugged on each other and realized, more than ever, how wonderful it is to be a part of this group of girls. I left feeling revived and that I could conquer the world (at least until the next Glamazon weekend).
Some things I never, ever want to forget about the weekend:
♥ The guy we overheard on his cell phone telling someone that buying iPhones and iPads was like investing in gold, because Apple products don’t depreciate in value. Um, WHAT?
♥ Lyndsey and I talking about ponies and whether or not it was worth having a horse, and we simultaneously asked (as though we were asking the horse) “Can you [insert thing here]?” Except she said “fly” and I said “make me a latte.” I think that sums us up pretty well.
♥ Kelly describing the Wendy’s employee they saw eating a nectarine and talking on her cell phone, looking like a chimpanzee, on her break. Who brings a nectarine to eat on her break at Wendy’s? Like, in the restaurant. Maybe you had to be there.
♥ “Goat cheese is my love language.” -Chelsea
♥ Hearing Molly’s husband give us the weather report on speakerphone.
♥ Doing our hair and makeup, only to go to Goodwill and browse maternity clothes (it should be noted that none of us are pregnant).
♥ Declaring the day to be “John Lewis Day.” Yeah, I did look good.
I love these girls. If you don’t have a solid group of girlfriends, build one. Reach out to people, either IRL or online, and start to put together a solid group of friends. I met Chelsea less than 3 years ago through my blog, and now she is one of my best friends. She brought us all together, which makes her awesome. It might take a little bit of time, trial and error, and some travel, but I swear to you, it is worth it. As Chelsea put it, it’s Risotto for the Teenaged Girl’s Soul (Kelly made THE MOST AMAZING risotto, btw). Which may or may not make sense, but the point is: Girlfriends are worth their weight in gold. Or, you know, iPhones and iPads.
(You can read Chelsea’s version of the weekend here. Molly will be blogging about it too.)
*Our group was dubbed The Glamazons because we are all 5’10″ and over. Except Molly. But since she’s a lawyer (and freaking hilarious/adorable), we let the height thing slide.
Comments on Glamazon weekends are good for the soul.
From San:
I love surprises like that! What a fun girls’ weekend! :)
From Kelly O:
I think goat cheese is my love language too. Well, goat cheese and coffee, but not necessarily together.
I love that you have this group; that’s one thing I really wish I had was a solid small group of those forever friends. Glad you were able to get together for C.
From Cio:
Glamazons are a league of their own. Have I ever told you that I’m highly intimidated by TALL beautiful women? lol
How are we friends?
Glad you got in some good bonding time with your fellow beauties. Y’all are amazing for going to be with her. Pretty sure you’ll get an extra jewel on your crown for that.
From lauryn:
Haha, I’d say that goat cheese is my love language too. Nom!
It’s great that you have this amazing group of girlfriends. I have really close female friends, but they’re not realy friends with one another… I’m hoping that some of them get to know each other better through the wedding planning process and maybe we’ll all become a close knit group :)
From CookinwVictoria:
Oh my goodness! It sounds like you all had an amazing weekend!!!
I haven’t had a solid group of girlfriends until I got involved with my Sunday School group, not that I get to go every Sunday because I teach little kids, but we go to bible study every Tuesday night and we are always talking throughout the week! It’s great! We all hung out and went to see Beauty & The Beast 3D this weekend and talked for hours at lunch, so much fun. Oh yeah and then having them and their husbands come over and play RISK for 4 hours one night, and 3 hours the next night…super fun!
From Kelly:
awww great post…minus my freaky eyes ;)
From AshleyD:
Ahhh, such a fun weekend! I love a good surprise story and you girls totally pulled it off.
From Suburban Sweetheart:
This sounds wonderful. Good for the soul indeed! You’re a good friend & a good lady, Miss LaurenFromTexas.
From Molly:
Loved hugging your neck this weekend. Loved seein all of you. Loved every moment…except when those brats looked at my feet while I slept.
xoxo
Mollycoddle
From Alice Rosenhagen:
Thanks, Lauren, for putting this together. It was the beginning of the healing process for my precious girl, I do believe. I know our little Lucy would be happy that Chelsea was able to share some laughs and make some special memories. Y’all are wonderful!
From Lyndsey:
Molly, you’re feet are as pretty as feet can be. Kelly, you’re gorgeous. Period.
I thought we decided on “John Lewis Week”!!!
I pretty much ran out of T&F on Sunday, but I did rock out to 90′s music all the way home.
My apartment seemed too quiet after being with my girls all weekend (especially since we crammed all 5 of us into one bathroom on several occasions and it was fun)
From sarah:
can i join?! I am 5’11!!
Only thing is you’d have to give me a good 6 month advanced warning for all future meetings so i can buy a ticket out from Japan / South Africa